We Met
by Estrea
Summary: A MiyukiShizuma one shot about how they met and got to be friends.


A/N: Ok I am being really obsessed wth Strawberry Panic lately, and after watching episode 9, I was suddenly overcome by the how absolutely adorable chibi Miyuki and Shizuma were. Hence this one shot to expand on that flashback scene we had in episode 9. Don't you just think a timid Rokujou-sama is so cute?

Disclaimer: I don't own Strawberry Panic. If I did, there wouldn't be so many almost-kisses, they'd just do it lol. And there would be more Miyuki/Shizuma moments. XD

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**We Met** -- a Shizuma/Miyuki story

Rokujou Miyuki was never frightened. That was what she liked to tell herself, and let everyone believe. She was after all, President of the St. Miatre Student Council, the cool, composed, and competent model student, whose exacting standards fell equally harshly upon herself and on those around her, regardless of rank or status. She was one of the few people, if not the only person, who could push the well-loved and respected Etoile-sama around with impunity, although whether or not said Etoile responded to her pushing was still in question. Although, she reflected, most times Shizuma just blatantly ignored her advice, at least on the surface. Still, Rokujou-sama was the only one daring enough to even chide the great Etoile-sama right in her face, other than a certain red-haired transfer student, one Aoi Nagisa. Even then, only the Miatre _seitokaichou_ addressed Shizuma on more or less equal terms, a probable result of rooming with the same Etoile for as long as they had been at the Ichigo-sha.

_Shizuma..._ The name echoed in the vaults of her mind like a silent prayer whispered to the winds. It sounded special, even when unspoken, a precious gem to be savored and admired. Shizuma was special, and that had nothing to do with whether she was the Etoile or not. Shizuma had always been perfection itself, even from when they first met as young children, first years at St. Miatre Girls' Academy. Perfection was maintained, a silent grace and strength radiating like an aura of quiet confidence from that composed silver haired girl, no matter how tumultuous her own emotions. _Even when broken..._ Miyuki mused, calmly dipping her quill in the ink bottle in front of her, before returning to attend to the mountain of paperwork awaiting her, her hand moving with controlled strength, filling up the lines with her elegant script.

There had never been any doubt in Miyuki's mind that Shizuma would become Etoile in the future, even as first years in Miatre. There was something about that girl, something unique, that drew people to admire her, be in awe of that epitome of cool grace and elegance. She herself had been momentarily stunned by that silver haired beauty when they were first introduced as roommates, having been then quite tongue-tied at the sight of the other girl, and was unable to even string together coherent sentences to respond to her new roommate.

_The silver waves in front of her were utterly captivating, and young Rokujou Miyuki stared, wide-eyed, at the perfection that rose out of those shimmering silver curtains like a goddess out of the sea. Unknowingly, she flushed, uncertain of what she was going to say at that point in time. _'This is going to be my roommate?'_ she thought, peeking nervously up through her bangs to study that portrait of grace before her, awed by the promise of great beauty written within those innocent features._

_Her soon-to-be roommate smiled at her, and it was then that the pooling sunlight from the window paled in comparison to that simple gesture. Flushing even more deeply, she looked quickly away, finding the minute stitches that made up the carpet beneath her feet utterly captivating._

_The angel before her spoke then, and she could actually _feel_ the smile through the words. "Hello, my name is Hanazono Shizuma, and it's nice to meet you."_

_She knew she was supposed to speak then, but words failed her. Her numbed mind struggled fervently to wrestle a coherent response to the simple introduction, but all she could managed was a few half-strangled squeaks that emerged from her throat. Blushing deeply in embarrassment, she shrank deeper into herself, wishing then that the delicate stitching on the carpet would just absorb her into the finely woven tapestry, the better to hide her from that unbearable scrutiny from the child-goddess before her._

_Never breaking that tiny half smile on her face, Shizuma prompted her shy roommate quietly. "Your name is...?"_

_Startled into a conditioned response, as should have been expected from a well bred girl from a respectable family, Miyuki blurted out her response. _

_"Ro-Rokujou Miyuki desu!"_

_As if all her senses were on high alert, she could actually feel Shizuma's smile grow just a tiny bit wider. Uncertainly, she looked up, steeling herself as best as she could against the expected charisma practically flowing in undulating waves from her fellow first year student. _'How does she do this?'_ Miyuki wondered._

_"Well, I'm happy that I got you as my roommate Rokujou-san. You seem like a nice person." Shizuma paused, as if thinking something over. Miyuki idly wondered what it could be as she fingered the hem of her uniform nervously, unsure of exactly what to say in such a situation. She mentally berated herself for such cowardly indecision. Was she not a scion of the proud Rokujou family? She was raised to be better than a shy, timid little girl. She was supposed to be like...this little image of perfection standing before her. She was still in the midst of administering a stern lecture to herself when Shizuma spoke again._

_"Since we're going to be roommates, why not we drop the formalities? Do you mind if I call you Miyuki?" There it was again, that calming, melodic voice. Miyuki blinked, her little reverie interrupted._

_"Anou..." She quickly replayed Shizuma's words in her head. "Of course...it's not a problem, Hanazono-san."_

_"Shizuma." Miyuki stared straight at the silver haired girl for the first time, uncomprehending. Shizuma smiled benignly. "Please call me Shizuma, Miyuki-san."_

_"Oh...right...then...umm...Shizuma-san?" Miyuki repeated that name carefully, as if it were a precious piece of dessert to be savored, or something akin to what clear, spring water was to a man dying of thirst in a desert. Shizuma smiled wider, an honest, heartfelt smile that Miyuki felt obliged to return with one as sincere as given to her._

_And then Shizuma took her hand, and thus began their journey together as friends and roommates at St. Miatre Girls' Academy._

Miyuki frowned briefly, her hand subtly tightening around the delicate quill in her hand as she rewound that old memory. Had she ever been so terribly shy and vulnerable? _Yes_, whispered that little voice in the back of her head. _Shut up_, she replied just a little snappily to it. The voice of her conscience promptly quietened, but not before giggling in a very familiar way. The subsequent frown adorning her forehead caused the appearance of deep wrinkles, something Shizuma would surely tease her for in that infuriating way of hers. She didn't really care, after all, no one else was in the Student Council Room at this time, and she didn't need any reminder of how eeriely the little voice of her subconscious sounded exactly like one Hanazono Shizuma...

Yes, Shizuma had left an indelible mark on her life, one that she would carry with her all her life, no matter where she went or did after graduation. The silver haired Etoile had that sort of effect on people. Of course, Miyuki could claim with all seriousness that she was one of the few people Shizuma would call a real friend, an equal, even. Although Miyuki had never considered herself to be a proper equal to Shizuma, only content to stay by her side as a silent support, forever in shadow compared to the brilliantly burning star that was the admired Etoile-sama of the 3 schools.

This, despite her relative proximity, both physically (as they were roommates) and emotionally (as close friends) to Shizuma. Miyuki knew a lot about Shizuma, but she felt that on some level, she had never fully understood that sometimes enigmatic character that had played such a crucial part in shaping who she grew up to be. Maybe it was deliberate, an attempt to keep that same aura of mystery she had sensed about that silver haired goddess when they first met, to maintain the same excitement that had never really lessened from being around her best friend and roommate. Yes, Rokujou Miyuki, stoic _seitokaichou_ of St. Miatre, was not very much better than the legions of young, wide-eyed admirers of the beautiful, untouchable Etoile-sama. She just hid it a lot better, and constant, prolonged proximity to said Etoile helped build up a certain immunity to the famed Hanazono charm that had felled so many other younger girls. After all, constant exposure to a virus increased immunity to the disease, and while Shizuma's charm could hardly be called a disease, Miyuki privately felt that the number of students afflicted by that same charm was alarmingly high, high enough for it to be declared as an epidemic, should it ever be put that way. However, it was not to be so, and almost the entire student population was allowed to languish in helpless thrall to that beguiling aura.

Her hand flew over the papers efficiently, going through the stack with a mindless routine born of practiced habit. She was after all, still the respected Student Council President of St. Miatre, and such little things like paperwork were as much a part of her life as eating and sleeping were. It was still difficult for her, on some level, to reconcile her current image with that of the aching memory that still resonated within her, that of a timid, homesick, crybaby who exuded none of the control and confidence she now possessed. It had been, predictably, Shizuma who had steered her onto this course of excellence that she was currently on, although whether that was intentional or not was still unknown to her. Though, if she knew her friend well enough, she suspected Shizuma had never even considered the fact that the reason Miyuki was even on the Student Council in the first place was because the dark haired girl wanted to be useful to Shizuma in the future. Not that she would admit it that openly to Shizuma, the girl would never let her live it down.

All this thinking was starting to make her head hurt, and it had nothing to do with her current work on the reports or even the nature of the thoughts which was in her mind. No, the source lay elsewhere. If only Tamao-san and Nagisa-san had not approached her the day before to question her about the persistent urban legend that still, somehow, lingered within the hallowed halls of the Strawberry Dorms. A familiar defensive irritation that came from hearing about the self-same rumor resurfaced again, and her hand pressed down just a little more forcefully on the innocent piece of paper before her. Having abandoned the weaker self of her past, she now found it extremely annoying whenever reminded of it, and did her utmost best to suppress the reality of that painful, if not embarrassing, memory.

_She could not sleep that first night, whether it was excitement or discomfort at being a wholly new environment, she could not pinpoint exactly. However, if the constant barrage of fond memories of her home, which drew an achingly painful sensation from within her heart was any indication, she was homesick. Deeply, dreadfully so._

_Unconsciously, she whimpered as she curled up under the covers, trying to banish that terrible feeling of loss and terror. The steady, even breathing of her roommate from across on the other bed clearly indicated that the friendly, perfect Shizuma was already asleep, showing no signs of the uneasiness that so plagued her. Miyuki envied the other girl for her peaceful slumber, and wished fervently that she could be taking the whole experience of being at a boarding school as well as Shizuma did._

_Amber eyes blinked in the pervasive darkness, peering with a sort of fearful apprehension at the still unfamiliar surroundings. Miyuki would never admit it, but she still felt a certain childish fear of the dark, and now in this new place, her old fears were quick to rear their ugly heads, and she barely stifled a frightened sob. How she wished for the luminous safety and warm comfort of her own room at home! That thought only served to spark yet another wave of desperate yearning, and another choked sob bubbled its way out from her throat._

_Over on the other bed, Shizuma shifted on the sheets, the faint rustling sound reminding Miyuki that she was not alone in the room. Glancing over at the angelic face peacefully in slumber, she fought down the sobs that were fighting to escape from her._

'I can't wake Shizuma for this...she'll laugh at me for being silly...and I shouldn't disturb her..'_ she thought even as the urge to cry grew stronger with every passing minute. The voice of reason within her argued that Shizuma would never laugh at her for this, as the golden-eyed girl had been nothing but friendly to her throughout the day, and was one of the first few people not to treat her like some silly little girl. Shizuma would understand, argued that voice. _

_But pride and embarrassment won out, and Miyuki made up her mind in that split second. Taking care not to make any sound, she fled the room as quietly as she could, biting her lip to control herself from breaking down into helpless tears before she left. _

_The hallways were dark, and seemed almost to stretch endlessly out in both directions. Not caring where she was really going, only that she had to put some distance between herself and the room, she wandered off in a randomly chosen direction, hugging her arms to herself, her thin nightgown swishing around her ankles as she moved. Her head was bowed, and she trembled slightly, partly from the cold, but mostly from the surge of hot tears that threatened to spill out of those luminous amber eyes._

_The wind was chilly, and the thin fabric of the nightgown did little to protect her from the cutting breeze. However, she paid little heed to that minor detail, her mind and heart too occupied with the overwhelming sense of loneliness and longing that weighed down like a veritable mountain on her young shoulders. Dimly, she realised that she should not be out here so late at night, and that she would get into trouble if she were caught. Good sense, if she still possessed any at this point, would have dictated her return to the safety of her dorm room, but she was definitely not in the right frame of mind at the moment. Instead, the vague worry that she could have been caught translated to a need to find a hidden place to cry in peace within her muddled mind._

_Arriving at a junction, Miyuki looked around uncertainly, her now red-rimmed eyes scanning her surroundings. If memory served from the orientation tour they received earlier, she was currently at the border between Spica and Miatre, and she definitely didn't want to go down a completely unfamiliar route this late at night. Standing alone and barefooted in the chilly hallway, she was once again struck by how the vastness of the dorms made her shrink on the inside, and a fresh torrent of tears trailed down her cherubic face. _

_Unthinkingly, partly to get out of the direct assault from the cold breeze, she huddled down in a somewhat hidden corner, taking cover behind a potted plant and in between the angle of the walls, rendering her more or less unseen by any undiscerning passerby. The act of crouching down made her feel even smaller and even more helpless, and she couldn't help herself from sobbing some more. She was miserable from being so far and alone away from home, and even more miserable that she couldn't even be a little more grown up and brave about it. The imagined disappointment of her parents at her current behaviour only caused a fresh deluge to spill from her eyes, and her shoulders shook with every pained sob her little throat emitted. She wanted so desperately to go home, into her mother's warm embrace, but she did want to make her parents proud of her by staying at a prestigious school like St. Miatre. The conflict in emotions served only to spur more helpless tears from the fragile little girl, so very vulnerable in her plain white nightgown._

_She did not know how long she stayed there, but after some time, the tears dried up, and she was dimly aware that she really should return before daybreak, lest Shizuma be worried when she woke up. Solemnly she wiped off the last traces of tears from her face, and quickly made her way back, that aching longing for home within her never abating even as she started towards her room._

Miyuki knew now that Shizuma had known from the start when she first left the room, the latter being a relatively light sleeper and had been awakened by the click of the door opening and closing. Why Shizuma had not immediately confronted her upon her return she did not know then, but on hindsight, she knew that they were still only just on their first day of their acquaintance, barely enough to establish any kind of relationship, much less the solid friendship that was the cornerstone of her life now. Shizuma must have been uncertain on how exactly to approach her without inadvertently giving offense. Miyuki sighed as she set aside yet another form onto the stack marked 'completed', and reached for another document almost mechanically as she continued to reminiscise.

_It had been almost a whole week into the school term, and Miyuki was slowly getting used to the routine at the academy. More importantly, she was growing closer to Shizuma, and tended to follow around behind her like a second shadow...or a puppy. Shizuma was unfailingly kind and patient with her, yet without ever coming across as condescending in any shape or form. Miyuki grew to trust her silver haired roommate cum best friend, her somewhat retiring nature automatically clinging on to the pillar of strength that was Hanazono Shizuma. It was comforting to have someone to rely on in an unfamiliar place._

_However, she still found it difficult to confide in her golden eyed guardian angel, her reserved nature and upbringing an obstacle in revealing the more vulnerable side of herself. She still snuck out of their room (she had come to think of the room as 'theirs' now) ever so often to cry out her inherent homesickness in that isolated corner she had found in that first night. Shizuma never said anything if she knew, and Miyuki never detected any signs of Shizuma knowing about her midnight excursions, so the issue was more or less swept under the carpet._

_What Miyuki had certainly not anticipated, however, was that someone _else_ had heard her sobs in the hallway at night, and this being a girls' school, the story spread like wildfire, as it dribbled down with surprising speed through the gossip express, growing wilder with each retelling. At first though, the rumor had been spreading within St.Spica initially, so Miyuki was unaware that her nightly shennigans was currently the horror story of choice among the fervent gossipers. _

Well, that didn't last long, Miyuki thought as she signed off yet another form, and eyed the still tall pile with some resentment. If there was one thing she despised the most about her position, it was the paperwork. The other major gripe was probably the alienating effect it had on her person; everyone and their dog referred to her as Rokujou-sama or somewhere along those lines. The only person who did call her by name was Shizuma, and for that she was grateful, because she privately suspected that without Shizuma referring to her as such, she would have forgotten her own name by the time she graduated. Distressingly enough, she thought with some consternation, she sometimes thought of herself in her mind as 'Rokujou' and not 'Miyuki'. Since when did her family name take over her entire person? She decided not to go down that road, it was too disturbing to admit to herself that she might have been too absorbed in her position as Rokujou-sama the President of the Miatre Student Council, to the point of discarding her identity as Rokujou Miyuki the seventeen year old girl.

In an effort to distract herself from the monotony of the onerous paperwork, she put the quill down and got up from her seat, walking over to peer out of the window at the glowing sunset in the horizon. It was getting late, and she still had so much more to do. A familiar prick of irritation came to her as she recalled that Shizuma was responsible for looking over at least half of that monstrous stack of papers currently lying on the desk. But then she shrugged. She was used to that aspect of her erstwhile roommate, and even more used to picking up the pieces after her, be it in their work or in her life.

Still, it was somewhat ironic that right at first, Miyuki had needed Shizuma's help to get over her own issues. Inadvertently, her mind was drawn towards the past, or at least, the part of the past that was happy for her...happy for both of them actually.

_It was becoming a habit, almost. Only a very bad one. One whole week of crying in the hallways at night probably wasn't conducive to maintaining a state of good health. Miyuki knew that intellectually, but with every nightfall, she found herself drawn away from her bed as the sick feeling of unease came to her once again. _

_So it was, on the eighth night, when she was carefully climbing out of bed and sneaking towards the door, something happened to disturb her usual routine._

_"Miyuki...?" A familiar voice, blurred with sleep, called from behind her. She froze in her tracks as Shizuma stirred behind her, the bedsheets rustling as the other girl moved. "Come back to bed..." came the faint murmur. _

_Miyuki, being at the foot of Shizuma's bed, briefly assessed the situation. Shizuma appeared to be nodding off again, and she could probably sneak off after her roommate had completely fallen asleep again. Otherwise, she could just go back to bed and wait the other girl out before attempting to sneak out again. She was still pondering her options when a firm grip snaked around her wrist and hauled her backwards and angling sideways, causing her to fall quite unceremoniously into Shizuma's bed. _

_"Nnnn...Miyuki no baka..." Said girl twitched as Shizuma promptly managed to enfold her in a bear hug, effectively trapping her within a warm embrace. Not that she didn't try to free herself---wriggling didn't seem to work, and Shizuma had apparently gone straight back to sleep while clinging on to her like an oversized teddy bear. _

'Well, now what?'_ Miyuki thought to herself as she tried valiantly to escape Shizuma's iron grip, but to no avail. The silver haired girl had latched on to her so tightly that, short of using violent physical force to separate herself, she would never get away, as the sleeping girl seemed unwilling to relinquish her tight hold._

_Giving up on escaping for that night, Miyuki tried to get into a more comfortable position, which was slightly challenging, due to the fact that well, Shizuma had her face practically squashed against her chest, and it felt oddly...safe? Miyuki blinked into Shizuma's nightshirt in front of her as she allowed herself to relax. It was warm, and strangely comforting, to be caught up in a protective embrace by her roommate. The uneasy feeling that had plagued her for the past week faded into the background, and the fatigue of the past week finally caught up with her._

_Her eyelashes fluttered as her eyelids slid close, and she unconsciously snuggled closer into Shizuma's embrace. Eventually, her breathing evened out and for the first time in a week, Rokujou Miyuki got some proper, undisturbed sleep._

Smiling almost unconsciously, the now much older Miyuki now remembered how safe it felt to be in Shizuma's arms. With an almost inaudible sigh, she turned and returned to the waiting pile of paperwork. Thinking about such things wouldn't get her work done any sooner, and Shizuma was unlikely to ever hold her that way anymore anyway. She could only content herself with these memories of the past, of happier times together.

Time seemed meaningless as Rokujou Miyuki settled back into the familiar work routine. Take paper, skim through contents, sign approval, put paper in separate pile. Repeat. It was almost as if her body was working on autopilot.

Somewhere along the way her mind wandered again, which wasn't surprising, since it wasn't particularly occupied with the work in front of her, at least not all that much.

_Sleeping in the same bed with Shizuma definitely helped, and Shizuma didn't seem to mind all that much. The first time they woke up together in the same bed, Shizuma had turned on that infectious grin of hers and remarked about how hugging Miyuki was more comfortable than hugging a teddy bear, which made said 'teddy bear' flush in embarrassment. _

_Despite the occasional teasing that day, Miyuki had found herself next to Shizuma's bed that night again, and her roommate said nothing, choosing instead to pull her back down with her on the bed. It became routine for the next few nights for Miyuki to sleep with Shizuma, although the playful teasing she got from the silver haired girl was more than made up for by the uninterrupted sleep she received at night. _

_The issue of her crying was never brought up after that...at least not until the next time she started it again. That was after she received a letter from home, which triggered more emotions than Miyuki thought that it would. Before she even knew it, Miyuki found herself back in the same old hallway, sobbing piiteously as the homesickness came by to visit again. _

_Shizuma had come for her then, for the first time, thus dropping the pretended ignorance of her crying. The warmth from the hand that had taken hers in a reassuring grasp as they walked back to their room was a memory she would take into future years, whenever the going got tough. Because Shizuma came for her, and for that she would perservere...no matter what the silver haired girl did to tease her._

A fond smile tugged at the corners of Miyuki's mouth almost involuntarily as she recalled the scene, a smile that half-faded as she remembered that that was also the last night she slept with Shizuma in the same bed. It hurt almost as much as a physical blow to compare the lively, energetic girl she knew from before to the detached, vampire-like individual now that masqueraded as her best friend and roommate.

Shizuma teased her far less often now, that vivacious personality of hers having receded far back into the shell of a person she was now, a result of a painful event in the past. Oddly, Miyuki found that she missed the teasing to some extent, it used to be a staple in her daily life; practically a day would not pass without Shizuma making a joke at her expense. Despite the marked lack of obvious verbal ribbing from her best friend, Miyuki noted that Shizuma was unfortunately still able to make her feel uncomfortable, embarrassed and inadequate, all at the same time.

She had to look no further than the earlier in the day, when she had somehow managed to drift off in lessons, and had not Shizuma stepped in to bail her out of a potentially awkward situation, she would most likely have had been reprimanded by the teacher. Hardly behaviour fitting for the revered Rokujou-kaichou, and Miyuki knew it. And Shizuma's words after that definitely didn't help to improve her mood. _Work harder_? The nerve of that woman to even suggest it! Were Miyuki of lesser breeding, she would have turned around and throttled the smugly smiling Etoile right there and then. Work harder indeed! Miyuki let her eyelids flutter close for a moment, her grip on the quill tightening briefly. It almost seemed to her that no matter how hard she did work, it would never be enough.

Still, she should not have been daydreaming about the past during lessons. Even if it was an immensely boring one on European history. Not for the first time that day, Miyuki cursed her lapse in self-control. She was more disciplined than that, surely. Why did she have to think about that part of her past there and then anyway? It didn't matter anymore!

Her eyes still closed, she shook her head at her own denial. No, it mattered, more than ever. It was the reason she was on the Student Council, the reason she acted the way she did, the reason she was the person she was. It was a promise she made, and a promise she was still working towards.

_I''ll work hard. And one day, I'll be as strong as Shizuma is._

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Footsteps padded softly on soft carpet, halting in front of the thin shaft of light emanating from a crack in the doors. A soft hand reached out to nudge the door open, moving inwards into the room and its sole occupant.

The intruder gazed calmly at the figure currently dozing with her head resting on the tabletop, dark blue hair obscuring part of her slumbering face. One hand still loosely grasped a feather quill, its point lightly bobbing against the sheet of paper the sleeping girl was resting on. The watcher chuckled softly at the sight, almost tempted to just stand there and watch her friend sleep, but thought better of the notion and moved towards the table.

"Miyuki, Miyuki..." She had to be dreaming again, Miyuki decided. Why else would she suddenly hear Shizuma's voice calling out to her the same way it did 6 years ago in a drafty hallway anyway? The voice grew more insistent, and someone appeared to be shaking her shoulder. Amber eyes blinked blearily as the last vestiges of sleep stubbornly clung on to her slender frame, but was more or less awake...enough to notice familiar silver locks somewhere off to one side.

"Shizuma?" Miyuki barely suppressed a yawn as she lifted her head off the table, wincing as the crick in her neck made itself painfully known. She didn't have to look up to know that Shizuma was probably smiling knowingly...again. Idly, the student council president wondered just how well her friend knew her and her motivations...probably more than she herself would like to admit.

"When I said to work hard, I didn't mean 'work until you drop'," the Etoile remarked diffidently as she moved to take a position behind the stubborn council president. Miyuki was about to open her mouth in protest; instead her indignance came out in a barely suppressed purr of satisfaction as firm hands kneaded her shoulders, relieving the tension that had built up in the muscles there.

Sighing defeatedly, Miyuki let her eyelids droop close again. "Thank you."

Pausing in her ministrations, Shizuma leant down and firmly removed the quill from Miyuki's hand, before proceeding to haul the sleepy Rokujou-sama out of her seat and ushering her out of the council room. Miyuki made a few noises of protest, all of which were soundly ignored. Not that the bluenette was really in any condition to put up much of a fight, since she was practically dead on her feet after working continuously without pause for so many hours.

As she was being marched off back to her room by the somewhat pushy Etoile, Miyuki murmured the question that had been plaguing her since she woke from her unscheduled nap.

"Why did you come to get me? And how did you know I'd be there anyway?"

There was a poignant pause, then a light chuckle. Shizuma's voice was heavy with ironic amusement as she answered.

"Where else would you be?" Another pause. "Since I think you've already outgrown the hallway, at any rate." A satisfied smirk adorned that beautful face.

The slight flush on Miyuki's cheeks was most likely a combination of irritation and embarrassment. "Shizuma!" A throaty laugh greeted her indignant retort.

They moved on back down the hallway leading up to their room in relative silence for the next few moments. Until Shizuma spoke up again.

"I happened to be walking around." Miyuki turned bleary eyes onto her companion. "Eh?"

A half smile. "I reserve the right to roam around at night." A pregnant pause. "You never stay out that late usually, and I was...worried."

Miyuki blinked, her sleepy mind suddenly clearing in an instant. "You were?"

Shizuma smirked. "Well, if something happened to you, who would boss me around the way you do? I'd miss your nagging if you weren't around."

"Shizuma!" This was a standard feature in their interactions, and Miyuki was slightly startled to find how easily they could slip back into the familiar routine at times. Of late, it seemed that Shizuma was beginning to show fleeting signs of her old self, and those little flashes of the past ignited a faint hope in the stoic Rokujou-kaichou. It seemed almost possible to get her old friend back the way she used to be, and the very idea of it warmed her heart.

Something else occured to her, even as Shizuma guided her weary form into their room, making sure that she undressed for bed before switching off the lights. As she lay in her bed, an old, familiar thought burned softly in her heart, warming her very soul.

_Shizuma came for me...again._

And suddenly, working hard and persevering wasn't so very difficult after all. She could do this; it was the least she could do for herself, and for _her_.

Miyuki smiled softly in the dark, satisfied, before falling once again into Morpheus' embrace.

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Ok, so that's it. Whew. It took a whole lot longer to write than I first thought! I had to keep making changes when I discovered discrepancies as I wrote. And finding the right setting and time for this to work was a bit more challenging than I first thought. Oh well. In case it wasn't clear enough though, this is set later in the day after the scene where Miyuki dozes off in class and Shizuma had to drop hints for her.

Personally, I wrote this mainly because I had a soft spot for Miyuki, and I just couldn't get over the sheer kawaii-ness that was their chibi selves. I came up with this after watching episode 9, but I finished this only after episode 19 came out. Lol. Episodes 18 and 19 completely messed with my characterisation, so I had to go back to rewrite, hence the long wait. I had to add in a few more ideas after episode 20 came out though, which resulted in MORE tweaking. Honestly. This anime starts dropping twists into the plot this late into the show! Oh well, it makes for more fun to watch.

Now, to get on to my next Miyuki-centered fic. Yes I adore Miyuki. And why not? XD


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